Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann

It was around 150 years ago in Mettmann near Düsseldorf that Germany's most famous resident was discovered: Neanderthal man, now the star attraction at one of Europe's most popular and innovative museums.

This site of global historic importance is the ideal place to trace the history of humankind – from the very beginnings in the savannahs of Africa over four million years ago right through to the present day. The museum's unusual architecture, designed by Günter Zamp, Julius Kraus and Arno Brandhuber, is similarly impressive. The bluish glass of the spiral-shaped building makes the museum seem almost unreal amid the surrounding landscape of the protected valley.